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Shaliayah, Mother of the Wastes
Shaliayah (Sha-LAY-ee-yah) is a deity previously only worshiped by the wizards of the Ruby Tower and a few nomadic southern tribes. Now, however, the Mistress of Chaos and Rage has been claimed by the Orc hordes as their patroness, and she is best known for her priests and holy warriors leading the raging hordes that torment the southern lands. History The Mother of the Wastes has long been a subject of mystery amongst the theologians of Du'Rothin. First discovered by Mages of Chaos centuries ago, she had no priesthood to speak of north of the Wastes save for a few petty anarchist cults typically populated by bored young noblemen or scheming usurpers. Shortly before the hordes came, a few nomads from the south made their way to the northern kingdoms, claiming the Mother as their sole goddess and proclaiming her virtues as a strong matron and protector against the chaos of the harsh environments in which they live. Since the Coming of the Hordes, her primary worshipers have been the Orcs who live in the wastes. They have adopted their own bloody dogma and theology, seemingly unrelated to either the tribes of the south or the Maguses of Chaos. Relationships Shaliayah was previously known to have communed with other nature deities as well as the other deities of magic. Since the arrival of the hordes, however, Shaliayah is thought to be keeping to herself, spending all her time with her minions amongst the hordes, cultivating their new faith and enciting them to invasion and destruction when it suits her. Church Open followers of Shaliayah are rare to be seen. Occasionally, a mad prophet will shout from a crate on a street corner in one of the major cities of that land, or some nobleman will be outed as a supplicant and be forced to repent before a congregation of Rulus 's faithful, but otherwise her only open worshipers are the Orc hordes. Even members of the Ruby Tower who revere her within the tower's walls do not proclaim her name loudly in the streets beyond. Followers of the Mistress among Human and Elven cultures typically adorn themselves with steel or irvory masks during religious ceremonies, as the members of such cults must work to keep their identies secret not only from the world outside, but also each other. Such masks are sometimes enchanted with magical wards and protections and decorated with red markings according to the whim of their owner. Black robes typically fill the rest of the grab, those these vary greatly in nature. Amongst low-born peasants, such robes are typically of heavy cotton or wool. Amongst nobles, they are silk. Sometimes, depending on the cult, the robes feature stylized or provacative cuts to enhance the image. The only known permanent temple of Shaliayah in Du'Rothin lies on the ground level of the Ruby Tower. It is attended by Hui'keem the Anarchist, an aging mage-priest who commands a high level of respect from the Red Order. Gameplay Information *'Alignment: '''Chaotic Evil *'Domains: Arcane, Ash, Blood, Catastrophe, Chaos, Death, Decay, Destruction, Earth, Evil, Fire, Rage, Smoke, Storms, Wind *'''Favored Weapon: Morningstar *'Porfolio: '''Badlands; Destructive Arcane Magic; Anger, Rage, and Violence *'Power: 'Intermediate *'Titles: 'Mother of the Wastes, Mistress of Chaos and Rage, The Red Bitch *'Worshipers: 'Anarchist Humans and Elves, Orcs, nomadic southern human tribes, Chaotic Evil Arcanists *'Special Note: '''Despite having several elemental domanis, Shaliayah does not grant spells to druidic followers. Category:Deities